Meet Our Guides - Wave of The Future

Haley Jackson

Director of Wave of the Future Co- op + Preschool Co- Teacher

Haley lives in Astoria, OR with her fiancé and their tortoise, Juniper. They relocated to the west coast about a year and a half ago, just in time for the pandemic! They moved from Asheville, North Carolina, Haley’s hometown. Haley attended community college in Asheville, earning her degree in Early Childhood Education. She is also a certified herbalist and postpartum doula. In her spare time, you can find her foraging, knitting and learning how to skateboard. Haley has always had a love of childcare and is heavily inspired by Montessori, Waldorf, and forest- kindergarten models. She is a big believer in getting folks outside in all weather, fostering resiliency and independence.

Alison Bingham

Lead Preschool Teacher

I work at wave of the future as lead teacher for our littles class. I am a certified AMI Montessori teacher. I have worked at several Montessori schools in Portland since 2008, before moving up to the peninsula two years ago.

I have a bachelors of fine arts, I am a painter and sculpture.

Personal interests include organic gardening, native plants, paddle boarding, surfing, being in water. Dog rescues, hanging out with my old foster children.

Currently I am remolding and living in an old trailer on my two acre property.

Orchid Cavett

Preschool Co- Teacher

Orchid is a snow bird from Arizona. She grew up in the NW and every summer
she returns to enjoy the beautiful weather and get away from the heat of Arizona.
She has spent most of her lifetime teaching children and really enjoys doing so.
She has raised seven children and has 13 grandchildren and a great grand
daughter. In her spare time she often appears as a professional mermaid known
as Grandmer Orchid the Mermaid. She loves swimming (of course) and when in
her sea pavilion lets children dress up as mer folk, fish or even sharks, while
reading lovely sea based stories. You never know where you might spy her having
a splashing great time with her mer fans! Orchid loves to combine art and science
to peak the interest of children in creating wonderful art work. She believes that
nature learning is very important and enjoys being in the outdoors herself.

Ally Bruser

Sou’wester Arts Program Coordinator

Ally Bruser is an Arts Integration Specialist and certified teacher with over fourteen years of experience working with educational institutions and nonprofit agencies. As the Sou’Wester Arts Program Coordinator, Ally works to increase access to the arts through planning and implementing weekly artist-led workshops for youth and adults. When not coordinating workshops or finger painting with her one-year old, Ally likes forage for mushrooms and make ceramics where she resides in Nemah with her daughter Stella and husband Jackson.

Laura Halsey Brown

Elementary Enrichment and After-School Instructor

Laura Brown is a highly driven and creative teacher offering over 20 years of experience contributing to the social development and art education of students of all backgrounds and abilities. She is focused on using a wide range of SEL and art-based intervention strategies, with a proven history of inspiring students. She has experience in many education fields such as; museums, public schools and as an Interpretive Ranger at Cape Disappointment. She’s taught students from Pre-K to undergraduate, with a special interest in designing classes for neurodiverse learners. She has a Masters in Fine Arts, and training towards a teaching certificate, as well as graduate courses in SEL.